Yankees starting Elmer Rodriguez in Sunday's series finale with Reds, bumping Gerrit Cole's start to Monday
The Yankees tweaked their starting rotation after Saturday’s 10-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Right-hander Elmer Rodriguez will start instead of Gerrit Cole in Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. rubber game, said New York manager Aaron Boone, move Cole to Monday’s 6:10 p.m. series opener at the Detroit Tigers.
“Elmer Rodriguez will start tomorrow,” Boone said. “Nothing other than just this long stretch, just giving our starters an extra day. So, everyone else will bump back a day. So, I think Gerrit goes first day in Detroit. But it’s something we’ve been kicking around the last few days and decided to do with just the stretch of … not having them go five days three times in a row.”
Cole, who missed the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery recovery, is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA through five starts since rejoining the Yankees May 22.
“Really well,” Boone said of how Cole’s health has held up. “Yeah, I think he’s recovered well, too. But we also want to play the long game with all these guys — obviously, Carlos coming back, younger guys in the rotation that have logged a lot of innings. Feel like they’re all in a good spot, but want to be mindful of this as we go through the summer with a long stretch here.”
The 22-year-old Rodriguez is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA with six strikeouts, nine walks and three hit batters while allowing six runs on 15 hits through 13 IP.
“He’s come up, he’s had some bumps, but I feel like he’s managed it well,” Boone said of Rodriguez. “He’s shown some poise out there and some moments where it’s had chances to get away for us. So, yeah, excited to see him go at it tomorrow and hopefully give us a good outing.”
